Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

2025 MPSF Fencing Annual Awards Announced

3/27/2025 9:00:25 AM

Photo: Katherine Kim, UC San Diego (by: UCSD Athletics)
UC San Diego freshman Katherine Kim (Tustin, CA) was the 2025 NCAA West Regional Champion and was the second-place fencer in foil competition at the MPSF Championship to earn first team all-conference and all-region honors. Kim helped the UCSD women win its first-ever MPSF Team Championship, which included capturing the clinching point for the Tritons. Her freshman season concluded with an impressive seventh-place finish (out of 24 competitors) and 15 victories (.652) at the NCAA Championship. Remarkably, one of her victories was over Harvard's Lauren Scruggs, who won a team gold and individual silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With the third-best all-time NCAA placement in Triton history, Kim became the program’s 28^th all-time All-American as a second team honoree. Kim is UC San Diego’s first-ever MPSF Women’s Fencer of the Year recipient.
   
UC San Diego freshman Alice Lan (San Mateo, CA) was an epee bronze medalist in her first competition at both the MPSF Championship and NCAA West Regional, which resulted in second team all-conference and all-region honors. Lan tallied a 32-14 regular season record (.696) and played an important role in the Tritons’ winning their first MPSF Team Championship in program history. As an NCAA qualifier, she placed 23^rd with five victories at the national championship. Lan is UC San Diego’s second MPSF Women’s Newcomer of the Year recipient (Rafaella Gomes-2022).
  
University of the Incarnate Word sophomore Yassin Khodir (Cairo, Egypt) was the 2025 MPSF Men’s Sabre Champion for first team all-conference honors. He placed second at the NCAA Regionals (10-4 record for first team All-West Region) and proceeded for an impressive sixth-place finish (second-best in UIW history) at the NCAA Championships. While at NCAA’s, he produced 14 wins (.636) on his way to a second team All-American honor. He won the sabre individual and team event at the African Junior Championships in Angola (Mar. 1), and will compete at the Junior World Championships, representing Egypt. Khodir is the first UIW Fencer to earn a major MPSF annual award, and the school’s third all-time annual recipient (assistant coach Courtney Hurley-2024; head coach John Moreau-2022).
 
UC San Diego freshman Dayus Gohel (Winchester, MA) won nine bouts in epee en route to an 18^th-place finish at his first NCAA Tournament. Gohel had a 45-20 record (.692) in the regular season, including a remarkable 22-4 performance at the Northwestern Duals (Feb.1-2). He finished fifth at the NCAA West Regionals for honorable mention all-region honors, and was a key member of UC San Diego’s first-ever MPSF Men’s Fencing team championship. The Tritons repeat the MPSF Men’s Newcomer of the Year (Hananiah So-2024) for their second all-time such recognition.
   
Air Force first-year Head Coach Katarzyna Dabrowa guided eight Falcons to this year’s All-MPSF teams, highlighted by a sweep of the conference epee titles with Christina Watrall for the women and Omar Emara for the men earning first team honors. Elizabeth Kim was the MPSF silver medalist for a first team honor, as well as the NCAA West Regional Women’s Epee second-place finisher. Madilynn Converse (women’s foil), Mira Vestel (women’s sabre), George Gasparovich (men’s epee), Jack Griffith (men’s foil), and William Barber (men’s saber) each posted third-place results at the MPSF Championships. Watrall was also the NCAA West Regional Gold medalist, while Emara took the bronze and was the top finisher for Air Force at the NCAA Championships, placing 14^th with 11 wins. Watrall finished 17^th and Kim was 24^th at the NCAA’s and helped Air Force finish 19^th with 23 wins. This is the first MPSF award for Dabrowa.
   
Air Force second-year Assistant Coach Sebastien Dos Santos, as the Falcon epee coach, qualified three epeeists to the NCAA Championships. Christina Watrall was the NCAA West Regional Gold medalist, while Omar Emara took the bronze and was the top finisher for Air Force at the NCAA Championships, placing 14^th with 11 wins. Watrall and Emara swept the MPSF Epee titles for Air Force to earn All-MPSF first team honors. Elizabeth Kim was the MPSF Epee silver medalist for a first team honor as well, and took second-place at the NCAA West Regional.  Watrall finished 17^th and Kim was 24^th at the NCAA’s and helped Air Force finish 19^th with 23 wins. This is the first MPSF award for Dos Santos.